Spring Break
Men's basketball back in UAA race
by Jeffrey Pickette
Senior writer
Sports | 2/12/08
Posted online at 12:14 AM EST on 2/19/08
/ Last updated at 8:42 PM EST on 2/19/08
With the men's basketball team on its way to a win over Carnegie Mellon University last Sunday, forward Stephen Hill '08 found himself alone underneath the basket with nine seconds remaining, much like he did at the end of the Judges' win over top-ranked Amherst College Dec. 8. In that game, Hill opted for the simple layup, but this time, he took a lob pass from guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08 and emphatically dunked it, clinching a crucial 2-0 weekend for the Judges that put them back in the race for a conference title.
"I told [Graves-Fulgham], 'I got to get a dunk before the year is over; you got to look for me'," Hill said last Sunday. "[Graves-Fulgham] looked me in the eyes because my man was in front of me and so I just ran and I actually didn't see him throw it. I looked up and the ball was over my head; I just caught it and I didn't really have time to think because he threw it so fast."
The highlight-reel play was the exclamation point in the Judges' weekend sweep, as they narrowly edged No. 6 University of Rochester 68-64 last Friday before holding on for an 84-81 win over Carnegie Mellon last Sunday. They are now tied for second-place in the University Athletic Association with the University of Chicago at 8-3 in the UAA, just one game behind first-place Washington University in St. Louis. Brandeis, now 18-4 overall, will play both Chicago and Wash U on the road next weekend.
"[The victories were] huge. It put us right back at the top of the league again," guard Joe Coppens '08 said. "We're going to Wash U [Friday] for a tie for first place, it's a huge game and [this weekend] put us in a position we wanted to be in all year."
Much like their Feb. 8 overtime win over Emory University, the Judges needed to rally to defeat Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans went on an 18-5 run in the first half, turning a 22-19 Brandeis advantage into a 37-27 lead with five minutes, 35 seconds remaining.
After the Judges cut the deficit to 43-40 by halftime, the Tartans built a 55-47 lead early in the second half, but Brandeis again battled back with a 13-5 run to briefly reclaimed a 60-59 lead with 9:28 left.
"I told [Graves-Fulgham], 'I got to get a dunk before the year is over; you got to look for me'," Hill said last Sunday. "[Graves-Fulgham] looked me in the eyes because my man was in front of me and so I just ran and I actually didn't see him throw it. I looked up and the ball was over my head; I just caught it and I didn't really have time to think because he threw it so fast."
The highlight-reel play was the exclamation point in the Judges' weekend sweep, as they narrowly edged No. 6 University of Rochester 68-64 last Friday before holding on for an 84-81 win over Carnegie Mellon last Sunday. They are now tied for second-place in the University Athletic Association with the University of Chicago at 8-3 in the UAA, just one game behind first-place Washington University in St. Louis. Brandeis, now 18-4 overall, will play both Chicago and Wash U on the road next weekend.
"[The victories were] huge. It put us right back at the top of the league again," guard Joe Coppens '08 said. "We're going to Wash U [Friday] for a tie for first place, it's a huge game and [this weekend] put us in a position we wanted to be in all year."
Much like their Feb. 8 overtime win over Emory University, the Judges needed to rally to defeat Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans went on an 18-5 run in the first half, turning a 22-19 Brandeis advantage into a 37-27 lead with five minutes, 35 seconds remaining.
After the Judges cut the deficit to 43-40 by halftime, the Tartans built a 55-47 lead early in the second half, but Brandeis again battled back with a 13-5 run to briefly reclaimed a 60-59 lead with 9:28 left.
Be the first to comment on this story